Digital is coming, weather we like it or not, and we have to get ahead of the payroll services and the producers. We need a digital system that has the look and feel of the paper processes that we currently use in production accounting.

Hollywood is notorious for generating an absurd amount of paper. Seriously, we’re drowning it. Like most industries that began before the digital era, we used paper because we had to. It was a natural function of business. There’s a lot to document on a film production and a lot of people who need to see it.

Thinking about a career in production accounting? I’m not one to sugarcoat things. It can be a rewarding job, but it’s not a glamorous life of parties, red carpets, and flirting with actresses. Before you sell your car, move to Hollywood, and start working for free, let me illuminate the big reasons you don’t want to be a production accountant or line producer.